Frequently Asked Questions - What producers are receiving when they buy certified seed

What is the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA)?
How many generations does it take for new pedigreed seed varieties to become available for commercial production?
What is meant by seed purity?
What regulations do seed growers follow to ensure seed purity?
Will certified seed contain seed-borne diseases?
Will certified seed contain weed seeds?
Are the noxious weeds for the Seeds Act (Canada) the same as noxious weeds for the Noxious Weeds Act (Sask.)?
How can I be sure I am buying certified seed?
What about contamination from GM crops?

To get an answer to your own question, click here

What is the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA)?

The CSGA represents 4,500 seed growers across Canada, and acts to provide standards for crop certification, according to Canada’s Seeds Act and Regulations.

How many generations does it take for new pedigreed seed varieties to become available for commercial production?

The process begins with registered plant breeders at public and private research companies, where the breeder selects desirable traits for new variety development.  It takes several years for the plant breeder to assemble enough breeder seed to begin seed multiplication.  The seed is increased over a regulated number of years, depending on whether the crop is self-pollinated or open-pollinated.  Open-pollinated crops are available after fewer years to reduce cross-pollination with nearby off-type varieties.  Certified seed is the last generation, and is available to producers for commercial production.  All classes are strictly regulated to ensure seed purity is maintained, until it reaches commercial growers. 

Open-Pollinated crops:

Breeder

Foundation

Certified

Grain

Self-Pollinated crops:

Breeder

Select

Foundation

Registered

Certified

Grain

What is meant by seed purity?

Seed purity refers to sample quality with respect to weed seeds, inert material (gravel, chaff, fungal bodies, etc.) and number of off-type seeds, as defined by the Canada Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).  Varietal purity of 99 per cent must be maintained to be classified as pedigreed seed.   

Table of Contents

What regulations do pedigreed seed growers follow to ensure seed purity?

There are three stages of pedigreed seed crop production that a successful certified grower must follow:

1.   Crop Production:

• the land must be free from off-type varieties and similar crop varieties;
• isolation distances must be maintained (these vary from crop to crop);
• the crop must be free of prohibited noxious weeds (as per the Weed Seeds Order of the Seeds Act);
• the crop must be free of disease; the crop must be inspected before harvest begins, and if it passes inspection the grower will be issued a crop certificate from CSGA;
• requires lots of ROGUING.

2.   Seed Storage:

• the grower must carefully harvest, handle, condition, and store the grain to ensure that seed purity and quality is maintained;
• all equipment and storage facilities must be thoroughly cleaned, and seed from each field should be stored separately.

3.   Grading and Inspection:

• an authorized CFIA inspector qualifies the seed for an official grade;
• grading involves germination testing and overall evaluation of quality,
• number of weed seeds and off-type varieties.

Table of Contents

Will certified seed contain seed-borne diseases?

The only diseases specified in The Seeds Act are for true loose smut (in barley), and the presence of ergot or sclerotial bodies.  Common seed-borne diseases such as ascochyta in pulses, anthracnose in lentil, fusarium in cereals, and blackleg in canola are not regulated by the Act, and thus it is buyer-beware for these diseases.  The buyer is encouraged to ask the seller whether a seed disease analysis was conducted by a commercial seed testing laboratory, and to attain a copy of the lab report.  Disease free seed is recommended for planting. 

Will certified seed contain weed seeds?

Certified seed does not mean weed free.  Upon request, seed dealers must provide buyers with a certificate of analysis outlining the species and number of weed seeds present.  At the Breeder, Select and Foundation levels, there is almost zero tolerance for any weed seed content, while the tolerance levels increase in the Registered and Certified classes. There are also varying tolerances for different crops, with large seeded crops (corn, beans, cereals, etc.) having lower tolerances than small seeded crops (i.e. forages, turfgrass or vegetables).  There is zero tolerance for prohibited noxious weed seeds (Weed Seeds Order) in any pedigreed seed. 

Are the noxious weeds for the Seeds Act (Canada) the same as noxious weeds for the Noxious Weeds Act (Saskatchewan)?

No –The Seeds Act is administered federally and needs to reflect the needs of the entire country, whereas the Noxious Weeds Act applies to Saskatchewan only.  While many weeds are named as noxious in both Acts, there are some weeds that are found in one Act and not the other. For example, downy brome is a noxious weed in Saskatchewan, but is not named in the Weed Seeds Order.  Be sure to request a certificate of analysis from suppliers of certified seed to check for noxious weeds that are important to Saskatchewan under the category of other weeds, so that new noxious weeds are not introduced to land free of them.

Table of Contents

How can I be sure that I am buying certified seed?

When a pedigreed seed crop has successfully passed crop inspection, a CSGA crop certificate is issued, and the resultant certified seed is labelled with an official blue certified tag.  When a producer buys certified seed, it should have an official blue tag, pedigreed documentation (provided from the seller), and a copy of the mechanical purity. Germination analysis should also be provided.     

What about contamination from GM crops?

The widespread usage of genetically modified (GM) crops in Canada has caused some export markets to implement a zero tolerance policy for GM seed.  However, it is difficult to maintain varietal purity in open pollinated crops like canola. The current varietal purity standard for certified canola seed is 99.75 per cent  This means that in a seeding rate of 100 plants m-2, one GM canola plant may be found.    

Useful Links:

Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development – Weed Prevention
SAF Factsheet - Preventing the introduction of new weeds
The Noxious Weeds Act, 1984 (Sask.)
The Noxious Weeds Designation Regulations, 1999 (Sask.)
CFIA-Varietal Purity & GMO crops - inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/seesem/varpur/varpure
CFIA – Weed Seeds - inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/seesem/grade.pdf
Weed Seeds Order. 1986 - laws.justice.gc.ca./en/S-8/SOR-86-836/index.html 
Canadian Seed Growers’ Association - seedgrowers.ca
CSGA – Regulations and Procedures for Pedigreed Seed Crop Production (Circular 6) - seedgrowers.ca/pdfs/circular6/circ6sec00-v20050108.pdf

For more information, please contact: